NIGHTFALL
A Story on Purpose, Potentials and Fulfillment. Night is Coming….
“Michael now that school is almost over, remember once you are done with school a position is waiting for you at the prestigious Ikenna Oil and Gas company.” Yes, Uncle I know, Michael replied with a big smile. “I’ll be sending you some funds, my boy. Look after yourself, will you?” Michael’s face lit up with gratitude. “Uncle Ike, I’m thankful for your help,” he said warmly as the call between him and his uncle Ikenna ended.
After hanging up the phone, Michael heard a still small voice, “Don’t forget who you are and what you have been called to do Mike, from Nigeria, the world is waiting to hear you.”
Michael was a faithful child of God in school, who had special abilities when it came to playing with words, because of this, Folarin his best friend nicknamed him “Michael the Word Smith”. In school, his poetry, write-ups, and public speaking helped a lot of students find their way to God and helped them find direction in life.
Michael felt a stirring deep within him — a calling that set his heart ablaze; he was called to use his gift with words, through write-ups, poetry, and public speaking to light the way for young boys and girls to find God and their purpose early in life so that they could live a fulfilling life. He was so clear about this; he had his purpose and vision written down; “Lead the young ones to God, help them discover purpose.”
Five months following his conversation with Uncle Ike, Michael completed his education and immediately received his appointment letter from Ikenna Oil and Gas company. On the day he was to resume office, the same inner voice that had spoken to him before spoke up once more, reminding him, “Don’t forget who you are and what you have been called to do Mike, from Nigeria, the world is waiting to hear you.”
Michael said to himself, “I know exactly who I am and what I am called to do. My purpose won’t be sidelined. Soon, I’ll move on from this job and begin to fully walk in purpose. But first, let me earn some money here to support myself and my purpose.”
A few months into the job Michael had become so engrossed with work in Ikenna and Oil and Gas company that he had forgotten about his purpose, every time that voice tried to talk to him, Michael shut it down saying he would go back to his purpose in a few years. The job was making him very wealthy.
One evening, when Folarin, who had moved to the United States, came to see Michael, he greeted him with enthusiasm, “Word Smith! It’s wonderful to see you, my friend. You’re doing incredibly well! But I’ve missed seeing your inspiring writings. I thought by now you’d be a world-renowned motivational speaker. What happened to that dream?”
Folarin’s words struck a chord with Michael, reminding him of his neglected calling. Michael brushed it off, saying, “Don’t worry, bro. There will be time for that. Right now, I need to focus on earning.”
Michael’s life flew by, year after year until decades had passed. He found love, got married, raised a family, and saw his children’s children grow. He climbed the ladder at work, earned more money than he could count, and was surrounded by a loving family. But now, in his early sixties, Michael wakes up each day feeling a gap inside. Despite all his success and the wonderful life, he has built, there’s a sense of something missing, a path he never took, leaving him feeling unfulfilled. The news was now a burden for him to watch or read, constantly he watched as young people, full of potential, lost themselves in harmful behaviors, some tragically losing their lives.
On a special evening meant to celebrate his retirement, Michael’s family dinner at a restaurant took an unexpected turn. Amidst the laughter and joy, a group of young armed robbers stormed in. Looking at the faces of the robbers, they were all so young, and seeing this, Michael felt a very deep sense of remorse and pain. “How could these young ones be doing this? Couldn’t they have lived better lives?” While everyone in the restaurant was in great fear, Michael stood lost deep in thought.
“Get down, old man!” one of the robbers yelled. But Michael was somewhere else in his mind, wrestling with the reality before him. The next thing he knew, the sound of shattering glass filled the air as police bullets flew through the windows. Chaos erupted. One of the young robbers was hit, collapsing right before Michael. Their eyes locked in a silent, haunting exchange, as the robber’s life slipped away. In that moment, amidst the terror and confusion, Michael’s heart ached for the lost youth and the unspoken stories behind his desperate eyes.
The sound of the gunfight faded, leaving behind a tense silence. The robbers were either shot dead or had surrendered. In the aftermath, Michael felt an unexpected, piercing pain on his left side. Glancing down, the ugly reality set in, he had been hit in the crossfire.
As the ambulance taking Michael to the hospital raced through the city streets, still conscious Michael’s mind was filled with a lot of ‘what ifs’. The haunting gaze of the young robber remained in his thoughts. Could he have touched the robbers’ lives, and changed their destinies, if only he had followed his calling? The books unwritten, the speeches unspoken, the journeys not taken, each a missed opportunity to inspire and guide. With every heartbeat, he pondered: could his words have steered those young souls toward God and their purpose? It was a moment of deep reflection.
Michael heard the voice he’d long ignored. It spoke softly, yet its message was clear and profound “Michael if only you had listened to me, if only you walked in your purpose, everything you have now and even more including the fulfillment that has eluded you were right in the path of your purpose. People were placed in that path waiting to help you and give you the wealth of Nations. Many young souls, whom you were meant to guide, lost their way because you chose not to heed your calling. You shut my voice down and let the devil lure you with wealth away from your purpose like a dog being led astray with a bone. Your night has come Michael and no one can work at Night”.
Just as the voice stopped talking, tears of regret rolled down Michael’s eyes as his eyes began to close, he could hear his daughter’s voice fade away, “Dad! Dad! Open your eyes please”.
Michael’s story is reminding us of the importance of pursuing our life’s calling. The message is clear: we should not delay in following the path that God has laid out for us. As Ephesians 2:10 suggests, we are each created with a unique work to do, prepared well in advance. And as Jesus said in John 9:4, we must work while there is still day, for night must come.
Are you actively pursuing your purpose? Or are you postponing it? It’s a call to action, emphasizing that the fulfillment we seek, and perhaps the impact we’re meant to have on others, lies in the pursuit of our divine purpose. So let us pay attention to God’s call and work diligently while it is still day, for night comes when no one can work.
As long as you are alive there’s nothing you can’t become, dream, or purpose you can’t achieve. While you’re here on earth, your potential is boundless. But once life ends, so does that potential and that dream and purpose. What you’ve accomplished, the dreams you’ve pursued, and the legacy you’ve left behind are all that will remain. Purpose, Potential, and dreams will have ended. Your Night would have come, No one works then.
Ephesians 2:10
For we are his workmanship, having been created in Christ Jesus for good works, which God has before prepared that we should walk in them.
John 9:4
As long as it is day, we must do the works of him who sent me. Night is coming, when no one can work. NASB We must carry out the works of Him who sent Me as long as it is day; night is coming, when no one can work.
